Page 10 of The Billionaire's Temptation

“It wasn’t a dream?” Looking around, she noted the elegant décor of the bedroom that was done in shades of maroon and gold. Not her preference, but since everything was still new and shiny, what was there to argue about?

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she headed into the bathroom. The luxurious shower was calling to her, but she wanted to find out what was really happening here. The documents she’d left in her kitchen drawer needed to be read. She needed more information about all of this. And she wanted her computer, not to mention her books. She hated the classes she was taking at the community college, but they would help her earn that promotion at the warehouse.

Thinking of the warehouse, her heart plummeted. She hadn’t gotten the promotion. Brad had been told that he would be the next assistant manager. He’d been at the warehouse for only six months, compared to Clarissa’s two years. And he was a lazy pain in the neck. The man wasn’t ever around when something needed to be done. He had no idea how to drive a forklift and was always outside smoking and joking around with his pals. Several times, Clarissa suspected that Brad was sneaking out to smoke a joint, then coming back inside to work around the heavy equipment, which was a major safety violation.

But she was merely a shift supervisor and didn’t have the authority to submit his name for a random drug test.

Speaking of which, Clarissa thought about it and…there hadn’t been any drug tests given since the current manager had been hired. Mark was a slob and a brute. He didn’t give a damn about the safety rules, but he also didn’t harass her like the previous guy. So she would deal with him.

Clarissa had another thirty six hours before she had to be back at work. Before this dream evaporated. So for the next thirty-six hours, she was going to savor the luxury of living the high life.

Walking into the massive closet filled with women’s clothing, she poked around at the various outfits, searching for anything that was her size. She found a pair of jeans that would fit her and a couple of expensive tee shirts. “More my style,” she muttered with a smile.

She was just about to pull on the jeans when she heard a feminine scream. Jerking her head towards the door, she found a blond woman standing there, shrieking like a banshee. Her red-tipped nails covered her face, but in the next moment, the woman disappeared, screaming her way down the hallway.

Clarissa had no idea what had just happened, but she pulled on the jeans and tee shirt. She didn’t have anything else to wear. There were a pair of sneakers that were soft leather, so she quickly stuffed her feet into them, then followed the sound of screaming down the stairs.

Rushing out of the room, she pulled her hair up, twisting it onto the back of her head. But since she didn’t have anything to restrain it, the tresses just fell back down around her shoulders.

When she reached the foot of the stairs, the chaos was overwhelming. The blond woman was clinging to a blond male with sallow skin and hair that tumbled in an odd way over his forehead. Clarissa wondered how long it took the guy to train his hair to fall so strategically, but suspected that this wasn’t the moment to ask. Better to settle the current issue first.

“Who the hell are you?” the blond man demanded angrily.

Trying not to be offended, she pulled her shoulders back. “I’m Clarissa Donata.”

This didn’t seem to calm him. “What the hell are you doing in my father’s closet?”

Clarissa glanced down at her jeans and top. Yes, they were women’s clothing. When she looked back up, Martha was hurrying out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel.

“Chad, we weren’t expecting you today,” Martha said with a friendly, if tight, smile as she approached. “Can I get you some coffee? If you give me a minute, I can whip up some of those blueberry muffins you like so much.”

“Stay out of this, Martha!” the blond woman snapped. “And get back to the kitchen. We’ll call you when we’re ready for breakfast.”

Martha’s smile tightened but she turned on her heel and walked away.

“Martha, stop right there please,” Clarissa called out.

The previously friendly housekeeper stopped and turned, but the smile had vanished from her face. She looked blank. As if she were trying to hide her anger.

Clarissa turned to face the two blond strangers. “I have no idea who you are, but apparently, this is my house and you willnotspeak to Martha like that! She is an excellent housekeeper and deserves a respectful tone!”

Clarissa heard Martha’s quiet gasp but kept her eyes on the blond couple.

The man pushed the woman behind him, straightening up to his full height, which wasn’t much taller than Clarissa. However, his arrogant tone was enough to set her heart to pounding.

“Let me handle this, Blaire.” He told the blond woman before turning on Clarissa. “Who the hell are you?” he sneered. “Never mind. You’re a thief! Those were my mother’s clothes and you’re stealing them.” With that, he pulled his phone out of his back pocket and dialed a number.

“These clothes were hanging in a closet. Since that closet was in the house I now own, I think it’s safe to say that–”

“Yes, emergency, I need the police,” the blond ass announced. “There’s a strange woman in my house and she’s stealing from us.” He gave the address.

Clarissa gasped, as did Martha. The housekeeper stepped forward. “You don’t understand, Chad. This is–” Chad waved a hand, silencing her.

“Silence!” he snarled. Then into the receiver, he said, “No, not you! Just get the police here as quickly as possible!” He ended the call and glared venomously at Clarissa.

Clarissa crossed her arms over her chest, aware that she still wasn’t wearing a bra. Her first priority this morning was to head back to her apartment to get some clothes. Some of herownclothes. With that thought in mind, she turned and looked at Martha. “Levi mentioned there were several vehicles in the garage. Where are the keys, please?”

Martha was wringing her hands nervously. She glanced behind Clarissa to the blond couple, then back to Clarissa. “This way,” she said, straightening her shoulders.

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